The plight of a hero
by Pensmith
Summary: The gang take a shortcut that leads to a life or death situation. Will everyone survive? Will things change between them?
1. The shortcut

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

The plight of a hero

The gang had all just been to see a movie at the local theatre. Of course it ended up being a gory horror film that Jade picked, a film where the shadows would kill people. And of course the only one who really enjoyed it was Jade. She currently had a feverish smile on her face, plastered in place since the movie had finished.

Cat and Tori on the other hand had lost all colour in their face. In fact Cat was currently hiding behind a slightly awkward Robbie, who wasn't as scared as the two girls but his throat was still dry. While André and Beck just held impassive looks on their face, which held no clue as to their true feelings on the film.

As Jade talked zealously about the point in the movie where the shadows torn of some ones hand, André cleared his throat. Jade let out a low growl, but graced the group with her silence. Cat at this point decided to poke her head around from behind Robbie to see if it was safe to appear in the open.

"Well I think after that we could all use a distraction" André proposed to the group. He dared not look at Jade because he could feel her stare burning into his head.

Beck recognising the warning signs of Jade's rage, decided to head of the rage. "Yes nothing like seeing some ones guts, make you realise you're hungry" he chuckles. Although Jade seems placated, the scowl doesn't leave her face.

"Yay, food. I love food, it's just so yummy" Cat cheered as she bounced out from behind Robbie. Robbie, who had been tense up to this point at Cat's touch, relaxed.

"I know an Italian place not too far from here" Robbie offers, seeing the group all look at each other.

"I hate walking" Jade is the first to speak. Everyone just gives her a quick frown that they quickly regret as she meets all their gazes.

"It's not far if we take the shortcut" Robbie tries to reassure her, to which Jade just grunts. With that Robbie began to walk in the direction of the restaurant. The others reluctantly follow him, their minds still on the movie. Most distracted by it and only the one enthralled by it.

Robbie led them down the alley which was the short cut. But as the groups mind were on other things none of them noticed the shadow in the alley shift to block their path until the shadow spoke.

"Give me all your valuables and nobody gets hurt" The mysterious figure demanded.

At this the gang all stop. All eyes focus on the figure in front of them, more specifically the figures hands. The object in the figures hands instantly scared all the gang into being statues. Robbie's eyes were the only thing not frozen; being at the front of the group he had the best view. His eyes took in every inch of the object, his eyes scanning the handle of the weapon, over the man's hands and finally down the gleaming barrel of the gun.

"I said give me your valuables!" the gruff voice demanded again. At this Cat let out a small high pitched squeak.

The squeak from Cat seamed to unfreeze the entire group, and everyone slowly began to reach in their pockets and take out their valuables. Jade was the only one not reaching for her purse and was slowly reaching for her scissors. However, unbeknownst to her, another figure appeared from the shadows behind her.

The new figure was able to see the glint of the scissor blades and quickly pressed the barrel of his gun to Jade's back. At this, Jade froze again. "Not so fast, drop them on the floor" the figure whispered in her ear.

The sickly voice seemed to force her to move, dropping her scissors to the ground. The scissors kicked up a small cloud of dust. It was at this point that time seemed to slow around this group of people.

Robbie's eyes and body were focused on the man in front of him. Jade body was still stiff, with the barrel still present on her back. Beck eyes were trying to see the figure behind Jade, a scowl fixed on his face. Tori's gaze was fixed on the recently dropped pair of scissors. André was looking at Cat with concern etched on his face. Cat was focused on another figure in the alley, one that had only just caught her attention.

"Aw look a kitty cat" She squealed as she moved towards it.

"No Cat ..." André screamed at her movement.

It was too late the man in front of the group had already moved his gun to follow the young girls movement.

BANG.

A bullet was unleashed from the man's gun. A body crashed to the floor kicking up a large cloud of dust. The second that the bullet had left the chamber, Beck had jumped on the man behind Jade. The man was distracted by Cat and so was unprepared for the sudden pressure of a body upon him, and so both the man and Beck tumble to the floor.

The man who had just shot his gun looked at the dust cloud in front of him in disbelief. He couldn't believe that he had shot someone, but then he caught a sudden flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. André was charging down the man. Unlike the man that Beck had tackled, this man had a few seconds to prepare. This made all the difference.

As André was about to connect with the man, he stepped sideways. André continued on his path and connected with the wall behind the man, causing him to collapse in a heap of limbs. The man returned his attention back to the dust cloud. The dust had begun to settle and the figure below it could be seen. On the floor, lying in a growing pool of blood, Robbie was clutching his side where the bullet had obviously hit him. Cat was on the floor behind the boy.

"Shoot them all, no witnesses no crime" The second man shouted out from below Beck.

The standing man processed the news and slowly raised his gun on Cat once more. André was unable to stand, so could only watch with horror. Beck and Jade were still engaged with the other man, trying desperately to restrain him. Tori was frozen on the spot in fear, unable to process the scene around her. Cat was only able to let out a terrified squeak as she saw the gun pointed at her.

Robbie had lost a lot of blood but the squeak dragged his brain out of his disassociated state and back to the current situation. Wasting no time he pounced on the man in front of him. The man was obviously unprepared for any movement from the injured Robbie as he tumbled backwards into the trash cans with Robbie on top of him. The man hit his head against the bins which caused him to unintentionally shoot the gun again. The impact of the shot caused Robbie to roll off the man and hit the floor once more.

The man landed next to André, who had now regained most of his functions. He immediately cracked the man over the head with a rock, sending him into unconsciousness.

By this point Jade and Beck had wrestled the other man into submission. Jade was currently holding her scissors against the man's throat. The fear was clearly etched on his face. Tori having finally processed the situation, now that the scene had calmed down, ran over to Robbie side.

Cat was already at his side clutching his hand and holding it to her face. Robbie looked up at her and gave her a weak smile, but then it fell as his head dropped and he fell into unconsciousness.

**A/N: Had this idea for a while, thought I should write it finally. **

**For any interested, I am writing a sequel to my other story 'The end of a puppeteer' but i want to work on this for now.**


	2. The aftermath

**Disclaimer: ** I don't own Victorious

"Robbie..." Cat whispered as she felt the hand go heavy in hers. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she saw Robbie's eyelids slowly close.

Tori's hand was placed firmly on Cat's shoulder. André had made his way over to the two girls, after he made sure the man next to him wasn't going to move. André knelt down next to Robbie, avoiding the blood pool that was slowly trickling his way. He looked at both the girls and saw the tear streaks that had already marked their faces.

André couldn't look at the pain on their faces and was forced to look down at the still figure of Robbie. His eyes taking in the motionless form of his friend, André couldn't take in the news his friend couldn't possibly be dead.

"Dré?" I heard a question tone from Beck. André was about to look at the boy when a slight movement caught his eye. He stared intently to see if the movement repeated itself. Sure enough moments later Robbie chest rose ever so slightly before it fell again.

Without thinking he yanked off his jacket and started ripping it. He picked up the shreds and placed the material and his hands on one of the gunshot wounds. Tori and Cat gave him a shocked looked.

"He's not dead" he said loud enough for them all to hear, "Tori help me" he urged handing her the scraps of his jacket.

Tori removed herself from Cat and placed pressure on Robbie's other wound. Her face twisted into a look of disgust as the blood immediately soaked through and soaked her hands. However she refused to move them.

While this was happening, Beck had removed his phone from his pocket and had dialled 911. The man below beck was still wriggling but was unable to free himself. Anger rose in Beck as the man continued to wriggle, he ordered the man to shoot. Beck formed a fist and smacked the man square in the face. An audible crunch is heard as the man's nose breaks. An operator finally picks up the phone.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"My friend has been shot, send help!" Becks usually calm demeanour gone.

"Where are you?" the calm voice replied.

"An alley just by the Cinema complex on 34th street" he responded.

"The police and an ambulance are on their way."

With that Beck hung up. He wanted so desperately to run to his friend's side but knew that if he did then the man he was currently restraining would make a run for it. So he simply settled for informing them of his actions.

"Helps on the way"

Cat let out a sob at this. André tried to give her a reassuring smile. But it was obvious by the still growing blood pool that it was now a race against time. If the ambulance wasn't here soon then they would all have to say goodbye to a good friend.

"Come on Rob hang in there" André told Robbie, "I mean whose going to make me laugh if you aren't cracking your jokes." He let out a weak laugh.

"Please Robbie I need you" Cat begged leaning in next to his ear so that only he could hear it.

"Don't you dare die on me Shapiro" Jade spits venomously.

Suddenly a pained wheezing sound came from Robbie. It had a sort of rhythm to it.

"Like I would give you the pleasure" he wheezes. His voice was so weak barely above a whisper. His eyelids were cast heavily over his eyes, revealing only a small sliver of his eyes.

The crack in his eyelids fell upon Cat. Even through the limited view Robbie had he could see the tears roll down her face. He tried to lift his hand up, finding it a lot harder than normal. His limbs weighed down and it took nearly all of his remaining energy to move his hand. Despite this his hand finally met Cat's face. At the touch she tensed.

"Now where's that infectious smile of yours" he tried to smile but ended up just twitching his lips.

"It's all my fault" she cried crashing her head against Robbie's chest. Robbie's face gave a quick pained expression which was mirrored in Tori and André faces.

"No...no..." Robbie began to say but unconsciousness claimed him once again. A fresh round of sobs racked Cat.

At this point Jade had removed herself from the mugger's side and walked up to Cat. She picked her up and immediately proceeded to slap her. The tears stopped immediately and a pained expression formed on her face.

"Robbie needs us to be strong, so stop your pathetic crying" Jade explained. Just then sirens could be heard. "Get to the end of the alley and tell them where we are." She ordered the red head.

Without any protest she scurried down to the end of the alley and quickly started gesturing with her arms. Soon the ambulance pulled up beside her and she pelted her way back down the alley. Cat was soon back by the side of Robbie. The paramedics weren't far behind the small girl, their faces immediately fell but they soon busied themselves.

"What's his name?" one of the paramedics asked.

"Robbie Shapiro" André offered.

"How long has he been like this?"

"Fifteen minutes maybe" Beck said, he was still wrestling with the mugger beneath him. It was then that more sirens could be heard and some police officers arrived from the same direction as the ambulance.

The paramedics looked at the pool of blood. "Do any of you know his blood type?" she asked, looking around at the group.

"He's O negative" Tori said having been removed by one of the paramedics who was now applying pressure.

"Jess, go radio it in and get the board we need to move quickly." The paramedic who was applying pressure to Robbie's wounds said.

"Is he going to be ok?" Cat squeaked. The paramedic looked at her and gave a great sigh.

"The sooner we get him in the better chance he has" he explained.

Jess came running down the alley pushing the board all the way.

"The hospital won't have enough blood they're contacting other hospitals to get more" she explained as she lowered the board next to Robbie.

The gangs gaze all fell on Tori who cleared her throat. She looked down at the unmoving form of Robbie before she spoke, letting a small tear fall down her cheek.

"I'm O negative, please take my blood" Tori confessed.

The paramedics shared a look between each other as they quickly loaded Robbie onto the board. Jess then gave a quick nod.

"Fine come with us we're going now" Frank the other paramedic ordered.

Suddenly an officer cleared his throat. "She can't leave we need to take a statement"

"Without he'll die" Jess informed the policeman.

"Fine which hospital are you going to?" he demanded.

"St Blake's" the paramedic informed him.

"Go well be there later, as for the rest of you you'll need to stay" he instructed the rest of the group.

With that Robbie and Tori were taken to the ambulance and driven away.


	3. The blood

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

As the ambulance sped along the roads, swerving between the traffic, Jess was trying to staunch the bleeding. The gauzes that had been applied were already soaked through with blood. Blood trickled from behind the gauze staining the blanket the lay below Robbie.

"He's not going to last at this rate" the paramedic told Tori. The girl had been sitting there just staring at the still form of her friend. She looked at the paramedic with pleading eyes.

"Please..." she asked the paramedic, her voice a hoarse whisper. The paramedic looked at the girl, looked deep into her eyes and saw only raw desperation.

"Dammit, give me your arm" she ordered.

"Don't do it, it's too risky" The paramedic driving called back.

"She's desperate and I can tell she needs this to happen" Jess shouted back.

Tori had immediately stuck out her arm when the paramedic had asked and had kept it in place during the brief conversation. The paramedic had now taken hold of her arm and had retrieved a needle and tube from a box. Tori looked at the paramedic who was giving her a questioning look. Tori simply nodded.

Soon the clear plastic tube was attached to her and Robbie's arms. The clear tube then began to fill with dark blood, Tori watched as a small bit of colour returned to the considerably paler skin of Robbie.

Before long the ambulance was pulling up in front of the hospital. Tori was now considerably paler but still had a look of determination on her face. Once the ambulance had come to a complete stop, the paramedic took Tori's arm and removed the tube. Tori looked at her with a demanding look.

"We have to remove it now, hopefully we have enough blood here" she explained to Tori.

Suddenly the doors to the back of the ambulance were thrown open. A crowd of people rushed into the ambulance and dragged Robbie out. Jess, the paramedic, and Tori were the only two left. Jess put her arm gently around Tori and guided her into the hospital.

The paramedic explained about Tori who was immediately taken to a room to have more blood taken. The paramedic had stayed with Tori up until this point when her radio sounded and she had to leave. Tori was left in an empty room waiting for the nurse. In this time she simply stared off into space.

Her mind raced as she allowed the calm of the room to ignite her thoughts.

_Why hadn't she moved sooner in the alley? What had held her in place? Her dad is a cop she was taught what to do in these situations. But the real thing was nothing like her mind thought. And now because of her lack of action she could lose a good friend._

She was brought out of her thoughts as a hand touched her arm. Tori looked up to see a nurse smiling down at her. The face appeared familiar. Tori gave the woman a weak smile and turned her gaze to the ceiling.

"What happened to the happy girl you were last time?" the nurse asked.

"Huh?" Tori returned her eyes to the nurse and had a puzzled look on her face.

"Last time I did this you weren't as distracted" she told the girl.

"Last time I was here my friend wasn't here because of me" Tori confessed, feeling like there was no point in hiding the truth behind her mood.

"What happened to your friend?" she asked. The nurse had already inserted the needle into Tori and was draining fresh blood from the girl.

"He got shot" Tori said bluntly, not really wishing to relieve the horror so soon.

"Well dang girl unless you were the one to shoot him, it wasn't your fault" the nurse said soothingly. She had already filled a bag and had attached another to the tube.

"But if I moved maybe he wouldn't have got shot" Tori confessed.

"Yes but then maybe you would have. Is that what your friend would want?" The nurse asked.

"No" Tori whispered ashamed at thinking her life was less important than her friend's.

She knew that Robbie would have been a lot worse than her, she knew that he would have only thought about saving her life if the roles were reversed. Not how he could have saved it over an action that he couldn't change.

"Exactly sweetie, you're doing all you can by giving this blood. Now eat your cookie and drink your orange juice. I'm going to rush this to your friend, you may have just saved his life" the nurse said as she exited the rooms with the blood.

Tori picked up her cookie but simply stared at it. _Yes, nut maybe his life wouldn't need saving IF I had just moved. _She couldn't help but think.

Robbie was laid out on a bed, surrounded by doctors and nurses. His body was hooked up to many different machines; one to help him breath, one to monitor his heart and another to try and regulate his blood flow. Gauze littered the floor as blood dripped from the bed he was on to the floor. A doctor had his hand inside the gunshot wound to his lower abdomen searching for the bullet.

Another doctor was using a set of medical tweezers to try and extract the other bullet from the wound next to his heart. The other doctor had removed his bullet and had moved on to sealing the wound. Due to the crowd of people around Robbie the other doctor had little room to work. All it took was a small nudge and the wound was flooding with a new level of blood.

Just as this happened a nurse walked in with two bags of blood.

"Get that blood in him now!" the doctor order as he yanked the bullet from the boy. The doctor just hoped that there was enough blood to allow time to save the boy.

The team of medical professionals worked tirelessly to try and staunch the bleeding. The bag slowly began to drain of blood as the doctors worked on Robbie. The bags drained empty as the doctors finally managed to seal the wound. Then the heart monitor flat lined. The doctors immediately began CPR. After 3 minutes the medical team all began to share looks of concern at the lack of process. Then the monitor gave the slightest beep. A very weak heart beat was registered and the medical team let out a collective sigh.

"Now we just wait, hopefully we did enough. Well done team" the doctor commented.


	4. The statement

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

Meanwhile, in the alley way, the two men were being dragged off into separate police cars. The one that André hit muttering random thoughts out loud. The other swearing revenge until the police officers finally managed to pack him into a police car.

The four friends were in a small huddle. Cat was sobbing openly into André's shoulder, who was gently rubbing her back and whispering soft calming words in her ear. Jade was just staring at the pool of blood which remained on the floor, while Beck just had an arm around her shoulder.

"Ok so what are all your names?" one of the officers asked.

"Beck Oliver, Jade West, André Harris and Cat Valentine" Beck answered, indicating each person as he said their name.

"And the two that left?" the officer continued.

"Tori Vega and Robbie Shapiro" André offered. The officer gave them a look at the mention of these names.

"Is that the daughter of David Vega?" the officer asked.

"Yes" Jade growled at him, annoyed that the officer seemed to be wasting their time.

"Well I'll inform him of where his daughter is. We'll have to take statements and then we'll take you to the hospital." The officer explained.

"But I want to see Robbie" Cat whined at the collective group. Beck and André let out a sigh, trying to decide how best to approach the subject.

"Cat we won't be able to see him yet, but we might be able to after we do this" André tried to explain looking into Cat's eyes so as to keep her attention.

"But I want to give Robbie a hug" Cat whines.

"CAT!" Jade yelled, "Do as the officer says and we can have a sleepover" There was a scowl on her face that seemed to not quite reach her eyes.

"Yay sleepovers I love sleepovers" Cat suddenly removes herself from Andrés hug and bounces around. She suddenly stops as if in deep thought. "Can Robbie come too?"

"Cat, he needs to be in a hospital. Maybe once he's out we can all have a sleep over?" Beck offered.

"KK" Cat responded, but it lacked her usual cheeriness.

The officer, all this time, had watched the conversation with a fascination over how the girl could change moods so quickly. He whispered in an officer's ear to contact Officer Vega and tell him about her daughter. He called a few of the other officers over and once they arrived he faced the group of friends.

"Ok we'll take your statements now; we'll need to do it separately." The officer said.

The group all split off and began to tell the officers their recollection of the events that occurred. Not long after they group had split, Cat let out a scream of fear and curled up in a ball. The officer with her tried to calm her down, but only succeeded in causing her to cry harder.

The gang all wanted to rush over to her side, but he officer stopped them asking that they finish their statements then go and comfort their friend. André, Jade and Beck rushed through their statements after this happened. Once they were finished they immediately rushed to their friend's side.

"What is it Cat?" Beck asked concerned that her friend still hadn't returned to her normal self.

"I got scared, and I couldn't hide behind Robbie like last time" Cat told them. The gang looked at each other with looks of confusion. They look at the officer to see if she could spread some light on the statement.

"Miss Valentine stated 'We went to a movie where the shadows eat you and then I got scared and Robbie protected me from the shadows...' This is where Miss Valentine screamed and refused to continue with her statement" The officer recollected.

Understanding dawned on the group as they realised that Cat had re-scared herself but this time she had no-one to make her feel safe. Jade simply bent down to Cat's level and placed a reassuring arm on Cat's shoulders. Cat looked up at her and steamed her flow of tears.

"Are you ready to continue Miss Valentine?" The officer asked.

"KK" she responded. "We decided we were hungry. Well I wasn't really hungry, but I love food so I just wanted to see if they had any exciting food. Anyway Robbie said he knew a place and that there was a shortcut. My brother took a shortcut once; he ended up driving across a soccer field and being chased by two soccer teams."

"Miss Valentine, please try a stick to the current event." The officer interrupted. She let out a small squeal at the slightly harsh tone in the officer's voice.

"Sorry. He led us down the alley. I wasn't really paying attention. You see there was a plane going over head and I was thinking what it would be like to fly that high. Then Robbie stopped, at first I didn't know why but then I heard the man. He told us to hand over our belongings." Cat voice had slowly been getting higher at the forthcoming climax of events.

"Then I saw a cat," the girl couldn't help but let out a giggle here. "I didn't want the kitty to get hurt so I went to protect it, and that's when there was a loud bang. Robbie was on the floor and I didn't know what was happening and then I started crying." Upon finishing that sentence she burst into a fresh round of tears. "Can we go see Robbie now?"

"Nearly lil' Red just finish your story" André told Cat, while wiping away a few of her tears.

"Then the mean man behind me shouted to shoot us all. That scared me even more so I squealed a bit and the Robbie was on top of the man in front of me and then I was crying next to him. And then you guys turned up." She told the officer, "NOW?" she demanded of Jade trying to pull her down the alley. The others simply looked at the officer.

"I get you a ride" she said disappearing towards a group of officer.

"Now we're going Cat" Beck said seeing that Cat was about to break down again.

The officer returned and told the group to follow her. They were lead to a police car where an officer turned on the sirens and headed towards the hospital. André sat in the front staring at the passing cars. Beck and Jade sat next to each other in the back with Beck whispering words of comfort to Jade, who kept an impassive look plastered on her face. The Cat sat playing with her fingers have a distant stare as she looked into the distance.

_What awaited them in the hospital?_


	5. The issue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Victorious

The police car came to a halt outside the hospital. Cat jumped out of the car so fast that the others barely saw her move as they began their much slower exit. The gang all followed in the trail of their red headed friend only to find upon entry that she was screaming her head off at the receptionist on the desk. The gang quickly made a bee-line for the mess of a girl.

"What's the deal Cat?" André asked, worried by the state of her friend. She was already prone to sudden mood swings and this situation had only increased the frequency of these mood swings.

"That woman is being mean to me and says that I can't see Robbie" Cat screamed at the group.

"WHY!?" Jade demanded of the lady behind the desk. The lady couldn't help but let out a small squeak at the vicious tone the girl directed towards her.

"Well you're not family and he's in no condition to see anyone else" she explained, her voice lacking any confidence as she saw Jade's scowl deepen at every word she said.

"Well then get hold of them so we can go see him" Jade spat at the woman.

"Well records indicate his grandma is his next of kin and we can't get a hold of her" the woman calmly explained. Cat let out a slight squeal at the mention of Robbie's Mamaw.

"Ok, what about Tori Vega, can we see her?" Beck asked, earning himself a dark scowl from Jade.

"She's with her father now but you should be able to see her soon. If you want to go down the hall and take a right there is a waiting room for you to wait in." She explains, relief coming over her face at distancing herself from the mean gothic girl.

The gang made their way down the hall in silence, the knowledge that they were unable to see Robbie weighing heavily on their minds. As they rounded the corner they saw a rather dreary sight. The waiting room was practically empty with only a few miserable people filling a few of the old seats. The lighting only served to make the waiting area seem more depressing. However the gang all sat down.

It didn't take long for the room to further bring down their mood. Jade was the only one who seemed to relish in this atmosphere, but that was until David Vega exited a room and began to walk towards them. She set him a dark glare as he walked steadily towards them.

"Hello everyone" he offered as he eventually arrived at the group of friends. He was met with only a few curt nods and stares that held raw emotions causing him to look away.

"How is she?" André asked, feeling that the tension was too thick to stand any longer.

"She's fine you can all go in and see her. I'm going to see what I can find out about the whole situation." Mr Vega told them as he began to leave. Cat let out a little squeak which caused David to stop in his tracks.

"Yes?" he asked the girl raising one of his eyebrows.

"Can you please find out about Robbie?" she asked, shrinking behind Jade as she asked it.

"I'll try but I can only find out so much" he replied, turning to leave as he saw the girl brighten considerably as he finished speaking.

As Mr Vega walked away the gang all began to make their way towards Tori's room. Tori was resting in a chair as the door burst open and a cascade of red hair crashed into her. Tori could only let out a weak smile as the small girl squeezed her tightly. She looked at the rest of the group, who all of the held empty smiles on their face, well all but Jade.

"So, you in pain Vega?" Jade asked with glee I her voice.

"No" she replied as Cat removed herself from Tori.

"Well that can change" she said with a glint in her eye. Beck just raised a hand to Jade's shoulder and shook his head. Jade just let out a loud growl and proceeded to extricate herself from Beck's grasp and moved to the corner of the room.

"How's Robbie they won't let me leave the room for another half an hour" Tori asked, the weak smiles that the group had held disappeared.

"They won't let us see him" Cat squealed bursting into a fresh round of tears. Tori just shot a question look at André and Beck.

"We're not family and they won't let us see him" Beck offered.

"What do his family know?" she asked, hoping for some information on Robbie's status.

"Don't know they're not here. Hospital can't get hold of his Mamaw and that's his next of kin" André explained.

"Well go get her then, I need to know." Tori begged.

"Why so desperate Vega?" Jade asked breaking her silence from the corner.

"Please" Tori pleaded André, ignoring Jade's snide remark. André couldn't help but feel the desperation in her voice.

"Cat's the only one who knows where she lives" André explained, feeling worse that he couldn't be more help. At the sound of her name Cat stopped crying and looked at the group.

"Cat you need to go get Robbie's grandma" Beck told her as he placed a comforting hand on her.

"But that lady is mean to me. I don't like her." Cat explained as she shrunk away from Beck's touch.

"Cat, please!" Tori begged.

"But she'll be mean to me again" Cat pouted. This caused Jade to let out an aggravated growl.

"Fine I'll go with you. Let's see her be mean while I'm there" Jade said. The others all gave her looks of confusion, but before anyone could ask any questions Jade had already dragged Cat out of the room by her arm.


	6. The confrontation

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

The girls jumped in a cab outside the hospital and made their way immediately towards Robbie's Mamaw's apartment. The ride over was silent as neither girl knew what to say. Cat was quiet out of fear of the woman that she was about to face, contemplating all the mean things that were going to be said to her. Jade was silent because try as she might she couldn't help but worry about Robbie. It wasn't until Cat let out a small sob that the silence was broken.

"Would you stop crying already it's getting on my nerves!" Jade snapped at the red head.

"I can't help it, I'm worried." Cat retorted in her high pitched whine.

"Well don't be. If that women is mean I'll just pull my scissors on her, that'll shut her up" Jade explained trying to placate the tiny girl.

"But she's going to be extra mean" Cat whined.

"Why? It's not like your any different from the last time she saw you." Jade questioned.

"She's going to blame me for what happened to Robbie and she won't be wrong either" Cat explained letting a small tear roll down her cheek.

Jade face finally dawned with understanding of Cat's fear. Jade let out a sigh as she thought about her next words carefully.

"Cat look at me" Cat lifted her teary gaze to meet Jade's. "You're not to blame. We're all as equal in the blame as the other." Jade said while placing a comforting arm on Cat's shoulder.

"No, Robbie got shot protecting me" Cat nearly screamed forcing Jade's arm off of her.

"And he wouldn't have got shot if I had been quicker with my scissors" Jade yelled back at her.

At this Cat looked at Jade and saw a solitary tear leak from her eye. Cat then leant across and gave Jade a hug. At first Jade was tense and didn't relax, but when it became clear that Cat wasn't about to let go she hugged her back.

The cab came to a halt suddenly and the two girls broke their embrace. They looked out the window at the towering apartment block. Cat let out a small whine as she undid her seatbelt.

"That'll be twelve fifty" the cab driver informed them.

Jade handed the man the cash and got out of the car and joined Cat on the side walk.

"Cat you need to lead the way. I don't know where the devil woman lives, remember" Jade said.

The small girl refused to move and remained planted on the spot. Jade thought about pushing the girl into the complex, but thought better of it. She knew it would only upset Cat more and Jade really didn't want to deal with a completely incomprehensible, blubbering girl. Instead she reached down and grabbed Cat's hand. Cat looked at Jade at the sudden gentle contact and saw jade giving her a comforting smile. This act gave the girl the courage to move.

The girls made their way up the stairs to Robbie's Mamaw's apartment. As they approached the door Cat stopped again. Jade frustrated that this was taking so long let go of Cat's hand and proceeded to hammer her fist against the door.

"I HAVE A GUN!" the old lady shouted through the door.

"Yeah well so did the people that shot your grandson" Jade yelled back. She was tired of wasting time and just wanted to get back to the hospital and make sure everything was ok.

The door wrenched open immediately and the woman stared at the two girls for a second before saying, "What do you mean?"

"Robbie was shot" Jade calmly said, trying to throw the woman off. She didn't want to get in an argument right now. The old lady narrowed her eyes at the two before settling on Cat.

"Let me guess you got him shot" she accused Cat who burst into tears and went to hide behind Jade.

"Look lady Robbie got shot because he tried to do the right thing. So don't go accusing my friend. Now unless you want to end up in the hospital too, then you'll get your ass in gear and go see Robbie" Jade threatened. She had pulled out her scissor the second the Cat had moved behind her.

"Maury I'm going to the hospital Robbie's been shot" The lady yelled into the apartment. She picked up her bag and slammed the door.

The old lady pushed her way past the girls and stopped at the top of the stairs.

"You two coming or not" she asked them.

Without a seconds hesitation the girls followed the lady. Once they were outside they hailed a cab down and all clambered in. The silence on the way there way absolute bliss compared to the awkward silence that fell in the cab now. Robbie's Mamaw kept giving death glares towards the two girls, a glare that Jade was all too happy to meet, but kept sending Cat into fits of crying.

The cab came to a stop outside the hospital and Cat almost immediately sprang from it and rushed inside.

"That'll be twelve fifty" the cabbie told them.

Robbie's Mamaw made no move to pay the cab driver, so Jade let out a huff and proceeded to pay the man. Once they were outside the cab Robbie's Mamaw headed straight for the receptionist and informed her of the situation.

"I'll get someone to show you up" the lady told her.

"Please Mrs Shapiro will you let us know how Robbie is doing" Jade pleaded with her. Jade never liked to beg but she knew that the situation called for it.

"Why should I?" she demanded.

"Because we need to know, no-one wants Robbie to die and without us you wouldn't even know he was here." Jade explained.

"Fine, you heard the room that the lady said so come find it later and I'll tell you what's happening" she said. With that an orderly came up and led her towards Robbie.

Jade rushed off to find the others to let them know what was happening.


	7. The results

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

Jade sauntered down the hall towards Vega's room, only to be met by the group all standing out in the hall. She scanned the group to see if she could get a read on what they were all doing. The only visible thing that she saw was that Cat was sitting on a chair crying whilst Vega had an arm around her.

"Why are we all out here? Did you all get tired of the Vega stench in that room?" Jade questions the group.

"They said I was fine to go and I don't smell!" Tori responded indignant and Jade's implication of her smelling.

It wasn't until now that Jade realised that André was missing from the group. She shot a questioning look at Beck, simply because Cat was still crying and Tori was immersed in tending to her. Beck looks at her for a few seconds before understanding her look.

"André was feeling faint so one of the nurses took him away to look at him." Beck explains.

Cat sobs break out afresh bringing Jade back to the matter at hand.

"Has she said much?" Jade inquires.

"No she was sobbing hysterically the moment she arrives and just crashed in that chair" Beck explains.

"Well then I guess it's up to me to fill you in then" Jade continues adding a sigh of disgust on the end.

"Well basically Cat wasn't wrong that lady is mean" Jade starts. At this Cat lets out a small squeal that momentarily abates her crying. Jade just gives her a look of sympathy but quickly replaces it with a scowl not wanting the others to see her softer side.

"In the end we got her here and she's with Robbie now" Jade explains, "she says she'll let us know about Robbie. Stupid woman made me beg, I'll make her regret that."

"Can we go see him now?" Tori asks and the same question is mirrored on Cat's face.

"I don't see the harm in waiting outside" Jade replies.

The gang then proceed down the hall and make their way to Robbie's room. The walk seems to take an eternity and soft sobs can still be heard coming from Cat. After what seems an eternity the gang arrive outside Robbie's door and not a moment too soon as Cat was beginning to get on Jade's nerve.

Tori looked through the window into Robbie's room to see Robbie's Mamaw talking to the doctor. Her eyes wandered over to where Robbie lay in the hospital bed. The sight caused her to look away in shock. He was attached to so many machines and she could barely see any of Robbie through all the tubes and wires that were hooked up to him.

Just then the door was thrown open and the doctor and Robbie's Mamaw exited the room. They remained in deep whispered conversation for several tense minutes as the gang waited, breathes silently held. When the doctor left everyone talk a small step towards Mrs Shapiro. She turned to face them and gave each a scowl, except for Tori.

"I'll talk to Tori and no-one else" She states vigorously.

"Why only her?" Jade demanded.

"You're too rude, the red-headed witch got my Robert shot and this guy I just don't like" she explained, looking at each person as she mentioned them.

Jade was ready to unleash a torrent of venom dripped words towards the old lady, but before she could do more than open her mouth Tori placed a hand on her shoulder. Jade tensed at the contact and withdrew from the girls touch.

"Just let me find out what's happening. Then you can plan a more thorough revenge tactic" Tori insists, placing her hand back at her side.

Jade at this turns away from the woman and walks to the window to look at Robbie. Tori walks over to Robbie's Mamaw and follows her back into Robbie's room. The woman stops but doesn't immediately say anything and just stares at Robbie in silence,

"So what's going on then Mrs Shapiro?" Tori asks feeling the silence is weighing down on her too much.

"The doctor's have stopped the bleeding and say he's stable." The old lady tells Tori with a monotone voice.

"Isn't that good news?" Tori enquired confused at the lack of enthusiasm in Mrs Shapiro's voice.

"He could be in pain for the rest of his life" the old lady informs Tori.

"What?" Tori demands, confused by the concept that Robbie may never truly recover.

"The doctors won't know until after he's woken up but apparently a bullet fragment is lodged in some of his nerves and so could cause him pain" Mrs Shapiro explains.

Tori looks out the window to see the Beck, Cat and Jade eagerly looking in. The second they saw Tori's face their expression fell from ones of hope to despair. Tori heart breaks at every one of their faces; she is only brought back by the voice of Mrs Shapiro.

"I need to go do some things, you will not let that demon red head anywhere near my Robert or I'll never let any of you see him again. Understand girly!" The woman yells at Tori.

At this the old lady storms out, but before leaving the hospital she talks to a nurse and the gang can hear that they have a hushed conversation. After a short time she leaves and Tori filled the others in on what she had been told. By the end of the story Cat was in tears and made a beeline for the door. Before she could reach the door the nurse moved in front of her and stopped her.

"I'm sorry but it's been requested that you don't see Mr Shapiro" the nurse informed Cat, causing a fresh bout of tears to spring forth.

"You better let her in" Jade threatened, pulling her scissors from her pocket and directing them in the nurse's direction.

The nurse shrunk back closer to the door at Jade's threat. Beck placed a hand on Jade's shoulder and she moves away slightly from the terrified nurse.

"Look that is our friend in there and we just want to make sure he's ok. Please can we just go in for a minute? He got hurt saving us. Surely you can understand us wanting to see him." Beck pleaded with the nurse.

"Fine but if Mrs Shapiro comes back I never let you in" the nurse tells them.

The gang all rush through the door after the nurse has gone back to the nurses' station. Even though they all saw him through the window, being so close to him now sent a fresh wave of shock through them.

**A/N: Sorry about the long break but my laptop broke and when I got it fixed it broke again. I'll try to update more now but I have a lot of work at the moment. I'll try to get another update on soon.**


	8. The recollections

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

The gang all moved around the room to get in as comfortable a position as possible. Cat had immediately rushed to Robbie's side and had immediately grasped his hand. Beck moved round to the opposite side of the bed to Cat and placed a hand delicately on his shoulder. Tori moves to stand at the end of the bed and leans on it whilst giving Robbie a look of concern. Jade stands near the door slightly uncomfortable with the level of emotion in the room.

"So um... what do we do now?" Tori asked into the silence that had penetrated the room.

"We should talk about Robbie or maybe... rainbows. I think Robbie likes rainbows" Cat suggested with her usual tone of optimism.

"Let's stick with talking about Robbie. That way when he wakes up you and him can talk about rainbows" Beck recommended.

"Kay kay. Tori you start" Cat beam, uplifted by the prospect of talking about Robbie.

Tori looked taken aback by the fact that she would have to start.

"Um let's see. Remember the time that we were all tried to win the concert from Ke$ha. Can't believe that those women beat you up" Tori let out a giggle at this point, "but you didn't let that bring you down, in fact that just showed how tough you were. I know you can come back from this."

Tori looked a Robbie a beamed a massive smile at him. After a few moments of this Beck cleared his throat to let the others know he was ready to share something.

"Yeah that was a good day. You remember the time André and I gave you a makeover. When we were doing it you questioned our motives. They were simple we were you friends and we wanted you to feel you best. By the time we finished you had so much confidence in yourself. Much like the courage we all saw yesterday. The confidence you had was that where you could take on the world and win. I know you can beat this." Beck said as he gave Robbie's shoulder a gentle rub.

"Aww Beck that was so nice" Tori told him a tear forming in her eye.

"My turn" Cat squealed at the room. "You remember when I was in Beck's film the blonde squad. That was fun I got to be blonde, but I much prefer having red hair. Blonde is boring, I like my red hair because it the same colour as my favourite cupcake. Um yeah anyway. You know when that mean boy dumped me, I was all sad. Then you came and sang me that song. You made me all happy again. You were my hero then just like you were yesterday. Robbie Shapiro, superhero."

"None of us can deny that you are a hero Robbie" Tori added.

Jade gives a slight grunt at the back of the room. The others couldn't decide whether this was because she was ready to speak or whether she was disagreeing with the last statement.

"I don't think I'd go as far as a superhero but you were certainly less cowardly than normal. Now as for a story about you; I guess that time we were playing poker was a good time. You know when you lost and I got to make you do the hammer time dance. Got to hand it to you, you didn't chicken out."

"Well I suppose that's as nice as you were going to be" Beck finished.

The room fell into an uneasy silence. They all exchanged brief glances but their gazes inevitably fell back on Robbie. No-one said anything more; all of them were in deep thought about what had been said. None of them had realised up until now what an impact Robbie had had on their lives.

"Damn it Robbie if you're going to be this boring I might just have to go and check up on Harris" Jade blurted out eventually.

"Sorry I thought that yesterday would have been exciting enough for you, but I guess I could give the dance another go if you want" came a croaky voice from the bed.

They all focused their attention on Robbie to see him crack open his eyes and form a ghost of a smile on his face. Tori immediately bolted from the room leaving the sound of the swinging door behind her. Cat jumped up and let out a squeal as she began to bounce on the spot.

"Looks like the man of the hour is finally awake" Beck beamed at the weak form of Robbie.

"Well as much as I need my beauty sleep, I was worried about you guys. So where exactly is André?" he asks.

"Well he hurt his head so the doctor is looking over him" Beck explains.

Just then the door burst open and Cat let out a terrified squeak upon seeing the person who entered. Robbie's Mamaw had returned and had a stern expression on her face. Her gaze shifted around the group of teens, but she did not see Robbie had woken. Upon seeing Cat her expression became one of rage.

"What is that fire haired brat doing in here!" she yelled.

"She's here because I want her to be" Robbie rasped out.

Upon hearing the voice Mamaw's expression softened and she looked directly into her grandson's eyes. She was shocked by the determined look that sprung from those eyes. Normally Robert would never challenge her.

"But Robert she got you shot!" she exclaimed.

"No! I got myself shot and if you can't accept her being here then I suggest you leave." Robbie said with as much strength as he could muster.

"Fine! Your sister is outside shall I send her in?" Robbie's Mamaw asked.

"Tell her she should visit mum first, I need to talk with these guys now" Robbie responded.

Robbie's Mamaw left the room and Tori entered moments later.

"Where were you little miss chicken?" Jade demanded.

"Well Robbie's Mamaw came back not long after I went to get a doctor. When she was in here I got talking to Robbie's sister, Stephanie. She's very polite Robbie. How come you never told us about her?" Tori asked.

"I didn't think anyone would care, plus I told Cat" Robbie said defending himself.

He looked at Cat for support. She just smiled at him and giggled.

"I've got a present for you" Cat sing-songed at him.

She suddenly leaned in and gave Robbie a kiss. The kiss lasted only a few seconds but to the two involved it became their whole world. The soft embrace left both their heads spinning once they separated. Broad smiles broke across both their faces. They were brought back to earth by the clearing of a throat. Jade was giving them both a dark stare, while Beck and Tori just stood their with their mouths wide open.


	9. The request

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

The room was captured in a lingering silence. The gang were all frozen in shock at the scene that had just unfolded in front of them. Jade still had her dark glare aimed directly at Robbie; Beck had dropped his gawk and just blankly looked at the pair that had just kissed, Tori on the other hand still had the stupid look on her face and was lifting her hand to stifle her sweet sigh. Cat was beaming brightly at Robbie and had let a blush creep up on her face. Robbie's face did not mirror Cat's face, instead it held a quizzical expression.

"Ummm..." Robbie squeaked, "Can you guys give us a minute?"

"Sure Rob" Beck answered.

Both he and Tori began to walk out, but Jade remained steadfast in her place. Beck eventually had to return to guide Jade out of the room. Even with his encouragement Jade took a while longer to move. Before she was completely out of the room she turned back to face Robbie.

"I'm watching you Shapiro. Got that!" she threatened as Beck finally managed to get her out of the room.

That one sentence had sent a chill down Robbie's entire body. When his gaze fell back on Cat the chill never quite left him. He knew that he had to do the right thing, but he knew that he could hurt Cat in the process of doing it.

"Hey Robbie" Cat crooned at him, giving Robbie the softest smile she could. That smile made Robbie feel worse for what he was about to do. He didn't want to make that smile disappear.

"Why did you kiss me Cat?" Robbie probed gentle, softly stroking the back of her hand.

"What's that suppose to mean!?" she screeched, withdrawing her hand.

"I mean why would someone as perfect as you ever consider doing something like that to me?" Robbie expanded.

"Well every hero deserves a reward" she responded, giving Robbie a shy smile.

"So it was just a one off thing?" Robbie asked. A slight sense of relief washing over him at the avoidance of the conversation he didn't want. But at the same time a deep pit of rejection threatened to swallow him.

"NO, I don't ever want to be without my hero" she protested crashing her body into his. Robbie suppressed a yelp, but when Cat looked up at Robbie's face she quickly saw the pain and withdrew herself.

"So you want me to protect you?" Robbie asked.

"That and other things, you know boyfriend things" Cat said.

"Why?" Robbie simply asked.

Cat looked at Robbie with a quizzical expression. Just as she was about to say something, Robbie put his hand up to stop her.

"What I mean is why now? You never really showed much interest before. Do you want me to be your boyfriend because of me or what I did?" Robbie asked. This was the moment he dreaded. Did he want to hear the answer?

"I...uh... I'm..." Cat stuttered.

"You don't have to answer now; I just want you to think about it. I'll let you know now that I do want this. But I don't want a doomed relationship, I want us to be together because we both share the same feeling, not because we are tricked by circumstances" Robbie explained.

"Do you want me to leave?" Cat asked.

"You can stay if you want, I enjoy your company" Robbie said giving her the most reassuring smile he could.

Just then the door was pushed slightly ajar and someone poked their head around the edge of the door. A blonde haired girl stared at Robbie and Cat. Robbie's smile grew wider at the sight of the girl, whilst Cat's expression became slightly perplexed. Upon seeing Robbie's response to her arrival the girl rushed into the room. She was soon giving Robbie a hug more intense than Cat had given him, resulting in more pain shooting throughout Robbie's body.

"You're hurting him!" Cat accused the girl. The girl quickly withdrew from Robbie and gave her an evil stare.

"He wouldn't be in pain if it wasn't for you!" the girl spat at her. Cat began to tear up immediately at this and attempted to vacate her chair, only to be stopped by Robbie's hand on her shoulder.

"Apologise" Robbie commanded, giving the girl a steady stare that held such authority.

"But Mamaw said..." the girl began.

"Mamaw's crazy. Remember what she said about your friend last week" Robbie reminded the girl. This made Cat wonder who the girl was. It took her a moment to realise that if Robbie's Mamaw was also her Mamaw, then the girl must be her sister.

"Your Robbie's sister right?" Cat asked.

"What's it to you?" the girl hissed at her. Cat was about to screech at the girl, but again Robbie intervened.

"Stephanie, apologise now!" Robbie instructed.

"Sorry" Stephanie whispered.

Robbie gave her a stern look and after a few seconds of the stare Stephanie threw her hands up in the air.

"Fine. I'm sorry." Stephanie practically shouted.

"Sorry she's not normally this gankish" Robbie explained to Cat.

"It's not every day that I nearly lose my brother" Stephanie whispered allowing herself to tear up.

Just then Robbie's expression softened so much, that it was impossible to think that he had anything other than compassion in his heart. And that the authority that he spoke with only minutes ago was not capable of coming from this version of Robbie.

"Listen to me, both of you. It's true that I nearly died. But there are two reasons why I am here now. And they are both in this room. It was my thoughts of you two that kept me fighting. I could never leave either of you." Robbie explained, the emotion in his voice causing it to crack at certain points.

Cat looked at Robbie and knew that she had to leave. Firstly so Robbie and Stephanie could talk. Secondly she needed time to think about her feelings for Robbie and being in the room with him was her way of putting it off.

"Robbie you need to talk with your sister. I'm going to go see André, see if he saw any unicorns while he was gone" Cat told as she got up.

"Thank you" Stephanie said as Cat pushed the door open to leave.

"Take care of my hero while I'm gone" Cat instructed.


	10. The conversation

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

Cat bounced out of the room but was stopped immediately stopped by Jade, who dragged her down the corridor and into a supply closet. The room was dimly lit and was rather cramped with the two of them closed in. Jade looked at Cat's face to see one of confusion.

"What did the nerd say?" she demanded, hating that she couldn't tell if her friend was hurting or not.

"Not a lot. Why what did he say to you?" Cat asked.

"Nothing I didn't speak to him, just tell me what dork bait said" she re-iterated to her friend, trying her best to keep her temper in check. She knew that if she shouted at Cat that the girl would immediately breakdown and then she would be unable to get any information from her.

"Well he stopped his sister being too mean to me" Cat told Jade. Cat was hoping that Jade wouldn't probe any deeper because she knew that she needed to reflect on Robbie's words on her own.

"Cat you're hiding something. His sister didn't come in till later. Either you tell me or I'm going to interrupt that little family reunion" Jade threatened, knowing that Cat wouldn't want Robbie and his sister to be disturbed so would now tell her exactly what she wanted to know.

"He just asked why I kissed him" she explained in a voice so quiet that Jade almost didn't hear her.

"I was wondering that too" Jade told Cat.

"Well you know, I just thought that he deserved a reward" Cat explained giving Jade a pout so that the girl wouldn't be as harsh with her. Unfortunately it didn't work.

"He may have saved your life but that was definitely a bit over the top" Jade explained to her.

"I would have given him more if he would have let me" Cat whined. A look of horror appeared across her face.

"What do you mean exactly?" Jade enquired, knowing that Cat couldn't mean what she was thinking.

"Well I said that I wanted him to be my boyfriend" Cat explained, confused as to why Jade asked this, wasn't she being perfectly clear before.

"You asked freak boy to be your boyfriend. I don't think I can deal with this you could do so much better than him" Jade moaned, hating the fact that this would mean seeing more of puppet boy.

"We're not exactly going out" Cat croaked, ashamed that she had to relive her embarrassment.

"The dork turned you down. I'm going to teach him a lesson" Jade said pulling a pair of scissors from her waist band.

"You're silly Jadey" Cat giggled. The sheer unexpectedness of Cat's response caused Jade to freeze. She swivelled around and faced Cat giving her a death stare.

"One second you're saying I can do better than Robbie and now you basically going to force him to go out with me. But don't hurt him. He basically told me to make sure I wanted him for him, not for saving me" Cat responded.

"So Shapiro basically told you to think it over. He just went up in my eyes, didn't know he had that much will power. You know that he's been crushing on you for ages" Jade told her.

"Jade tell me what to do" Cat begged giving Jade her best helpless look.

"Simple. Think about Shapiro now and tell me what the first thing that comes to your mind is" Jade instructed Cat. Cat closed her eyes and thought about Robbie for a moment, only one memory stood out in her mind.

"A red velvet cupcake" Cat whispered. Jade gave her a confused look, upon seeing Jade's expression Cat decided to expand. "When I was sick about a month ago Robbie came around and gave me a solitary red velvet cupcake. He stayed with me for the rest of the evening and made me laugh so hard that milk came out of my nose."

"Well is that the Robbie you want to be with?" Jade asked.

* * *

Back in the hospital room, Robbie is sitting up in his bed giving his sister a one armed hug. Her dark brown hair spills on the bed as her face is buried in her brother's side. The beep of the monitor's is joined by the soft sobs of Stephanie Shapiro.

"Smile for your brother" Robbie asks, injecting a light tone in his voice hoping to bring his sister out of her little sad world. Upon hearing her brother's words, Stephanie raised her head, revealing her red rimmed eyes contrasted by the weak smile that now adorned her lips.

"Sorry, but I was really scared. Plus Mum shouted at me when I went to see her" Stephanie croaked.

"Remember it's not her fault. I'll try and see her later" Robbie said giving her sister a reassuring smile.

"Why does she listen to you? I don't get it, she just gets worse if I speak to her" she whines.

"She thinks I'm dad" Robbie explains. The conversation was dragging her mood further down. He had possibly just pushed his one chance at happiness away and now had to return to the routine of his demanding life.

"Look, can we talk about this later. Can't we just be happy that I'm here" Robbie asks. Upon looking at her brother's face she could see the pain this was causing him, even at her age she knew that he deserved better. She knew that he had done more than a brother should ever have too for her.

"Ok. Tell me about the girl that was in here before. She was cute" Stephanie asked.

"That was Cat. She's one of my closest friends" Robbie told her.

"But you want to be more than that" Stephanie pointed out. It was obvious to her, not only because she knew her brother so well, but also because she recognised the look in her brother's eyes.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'll get it" he sighed as his gazed drifted to the door that Cat had not long gone through.

"Why? You're awesome" Stephanie protested.

"To you who know all of me, but to others I'm a freak. Plus I practically told her to not think of me in that way" Robbie explained as he gave his sister a warm look so as to soften the mood of his speech.

"Well then I'll tell her" Stephanie informed Robbie.

Before Robbie had a chance to argue with her sister, she was out of her chair and out of the room. Robbie sat there and contemplated what was about to happen. Would Cat understand? More to the point, would she ever want to be near him after she found out the truth?


	11. The confessions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

The door to his room was pushed open and Robbie's eyes immediately locked onto the person who entered. He had expected it to be Cat or Stephanie, so he was slightly shocked to see Jade enter his room. She silently walked over to his bedside and took a seat, all the time avoiding his gaze.

"This is new, Jade West voluntarily spending time with me" Robbie joked, trying to get a reaction out of her.

"The others will be bringing André along shortly" she said in a weak voice.

They both sat in silence, Robbie taking her last statement as her not wanting to talk to him. He allowed his mind to wander on what Stephanie was going to tell Cat. He dreaded how she would react. He knew she wouldn't mind what he did; he just knew that she would be hurt that he didn't tell her about it from the start.

"You know I practically told Cat that I was going to come in here and put you in your place" Jade broke the silence, looking at Robbie for the first time since she entered the room.

"And what position would that be?" Robbie asked. If Jade thought that the situation had somehow made Robbie think he was any better than he was then she was wrong. He knew where his place was in the social order and he was happy with it.

"I'm not too sure" she responded, "I mean you're still as much of a puppet boy as before only you saved our lives. That earns you respect no matter what. The fact that you nearly died just means that you have a lot more gratitude coming your way."

"Look a sight I thought I'd never see a Jade West talking about respecting me" Robbie said, chuckling slightly at the end.

"Don't joke about this. Nothing fun has happened here" Jade snapped.

Robbie changed his facial expression from the slightly jokey one to the serious one that only his sister ever really got to see. He hated that he had to do this; he didn't want any different treatment after what he did. He just wanted life to return to normal.

"I know Jade. Listen I'm still me and I'm still here. Nothing's changed so you shouldn't have to treat me any differently" Robbie explained.

"But something has changed, I nearly lost a friend and I don't think I could cope with that" Jade croaked, tears beginning to stream down her face.

"Ok, so I won't die and you won't lose me, that's a promise" Robbie took one of her hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Jade fixed him with a fierce stare that took Robbie by surprise.

"I mean it no matter how much of a hero you want to be I can't lose you" Jade instructed him.

"I wasn't trying to be a hero just trying to do the right thing" Robbie explained.

"I don't care, if doing the right thing leads to your death, then for once do the wrong thing" Jade told him.

"I promise" Robbie informed her. Jade then broke down in fresh tears and gave Robbie a weak hug.

Just then the door burst open and Tori and Beck wheeled André into the room. They were all slightly taken aback at the position that Robbie and Jade were in, and they all did a double take once they saw that Jade had been crying. Jade quickly detached herself from Robbie and fixed a scowl on her face.

"Think I must have hit my head harder than I thought cos I know Jade couldn't be crying" André commented, causing Jade to rise out of her seat and storm over to him.

"Listen music man, you or anyone makes any more comments on this then you'll be glad that you're in a hospital" Jade threatened André leaning in close to him.

"Whoa that was a bit intense. What the matter with you" Beck inquired.

"None of your damn business" Jade snapped at him.

"I think I know why" Robbie interjected. Since the others had entered the room the atmosphere had become intense, but with this one comment Robbie had pushed it to almost unbearable amounts. Jade quickly spun around to face him and gave him a pleading look that only he could see. Robbie ignored the look, he had no intention of hurting her, but this needed to be explored.

"Before I say anything else I want you guys to do something for me" Robbie told the others. They all gave each other quizzical looks before hesitantly agreeing to do what he wanted.

Robbie asked them all to close their eyes, and with a few concerned glances at one another each of them finally closed their eyes. Jade was the last to close her eyes and kept hers eyes on Robbie until the last possible moment.

"Ok can you raise your hand if you feel responsible for what happened in the alley" Robbie asked the group, slowly hands were raised. "Ok open your eyes" Robbie instructed.

The group looked around to see that they all had their hands raised. Suddenly arguments sprouted from each person explaining why it was their fault and not the fault of the others. Robbie raised his hand to try and get silence, the action caused him some discomfort which clearly showed on his face as the others fell silent and wore concerned looks on their faces.

"One at a time, who wants to go first?" Robbie asked. Four hands shot into the air each person desperate to defend their argument. The desperate look in Tori's eyes seemed to pull Robbie in and he allowed her to go first.

"I don't know why you guys feel any of this was your fault. I mean, at least you all did something. It wasn't until after everything had happened that I did anything useful. I'm not going to lie I was scared, but I shouldn't have been. My dad tells me all the time about things like this and he even goes as far as to tell me exactly what to do in all the different situation, but not I didn't do anything and because of that you got hurt Robbie. If only I had moved maybe I could have helped you" Tori explained, letting a sigh escape her at the end relieve a bit of her guilt.

"Well that's ridiculous" Beck commented.

"Leave the comments till we've heard everyone's explanation" Robbie instructed, "you can go next Beck."

"Well I know you guys probably see me as some sort of cool dude but in that alley I lost it. When I saw that gun my mind just screamed to run. I nearly did too. I nearly abandoned you guys. If I hadn't wasted that time worrying about myself maybe I could have thought of a way to defuse the situation without anyone getting hurt" Beck finished, looking at the floor not daring to look at anyone.

The guilt had been eating him inside since they arrived at the hospital and he felt better for getting it off his chest but was eager to hear how the others would react to his confession. However before anyone could say anything to beck Robbie shifted in his chair to face Jade and André.

"So who wants to go next?" Robbie enquired. Jade and André shared a look and surprisingly Jade backed down from the stare, indicating that André should share his story.

"Dang it. It's all simple I could have stopped Cat from going after that Cat she was right next to me all it would have taken was for me to grab her and nobody would have got shot. Then there was the fact that I missed tackling the guy. How could I do that you protect lil' Red and I can't protect you. Then because I'm such a klutz you get shot again. If it wasn't for that mistake then you wouldn't be in so much pain" André told the others, slamming his fist down on the arm of the wheelchair.

Everyone seemed to be in their own world punishing themselves. Robbie looked at Jade and it was only when she cleared her throat that everyone temporarily broke from their guilt driven stupors.

"Look I wasn't fast enough ok. I know you all see me as this scary girl who isn't afraid of anything. But like Vega fear gripped me in that alley and that made me hesitate. If I hadn't of hesitated I could have got to my scissors sooner and stopped the guy. So you see I'm to blame. If I hadn't been a pathetic wuss then none of us would have got hurt" Jade spat out, her eyes never leaving the floor.

"Well I'm gonna say it simply. You're all idiots. You're playing the 'what if' game and nobody can ever win that game. What if you had move Tori maybe you would have got shot. André if you had grabbed Cat maybe they would of shot you. Beck we probably all thought of running, but what if you had come up with a plan there would have been no time to instigate it. Jade, if you had got your scissors the other man could have simply shot you or if you had stabbed the man in front of me then maybe his gun would have gone off and hurt someone regardless."

Robbie paused and looked at his friends. Theirs gazes were now firmly fixed on him rather than on the floor. He knew the reason that they looked at him was because he was being his mature self and not the Robbie they knew. But he knew this was the Robbie that everyone needed him to be in order to get through this situation.

"Guys you shouldn't be punishing yourselves. Think about it. We're all still here and we all have each other. It could be so much worse. If any one tiny detailed was changed then not all of us could be here. So please for me just be thankful that we all still have one another" Robbie finished, grateful for the warm smiles that everyone was shooting him.

"Um... speaking of everyone, where is Cat?" Tori questioned.

"Told me she wanted to get Robbie a present" Jade dryly informed the others, still angry that Cat never actually answered her question.

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while i got lazy and then started to get busy I will try and update more often but probably won't update for a few weeks. Thanks for reading.**


	12. The secret

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Victorious

Stephanie was rushing through the hospital, looking everywhere she could think that Cat might be. She had lapped the floor Robbie was on and found no sign of her, so had headed for the cafeteria. The girl was running from table to table looking for any sign of the red head, only getting more frustrated at the disappearing act that the girl seemed to have pulled.

The girl paused for a moment once she reached the end of the cafeteria and tried to think of another place to go look. It dawned on her that the only other option that seemed feasible was the gift shop. Without wasting another moment the girl sprinted from the spot she was on and glided through the door ignoring the burning in her chest, caused by her incessant running.

As the girl was speeding towards the shop, she caught sight of a fleck of red hair disappearing through the door. Skidding to a stop and nearly crashing into an elderly man, Stephanie set of in pursuit after what she hoped was Cat.

Thundering through the doors to the hopeful end of her quest, Stephanie came to a stop at the sight of the very person she sought sitting on a bench under a tree. Stephanie had found her way into the hospital garden. Now that she had finally stopped her body reacted violently and began to scream in protest at the amount of energy she had just forced it to expend. Stephanie didn't mind the pain one bit though because she knew that her brother had done so much for her in his life that now it was time for her to start paying him back.

With that thought in mind she casually walked over to join cat on the bench, hiding the exhaustion that she felt. She gently sat down next to Cat and shot her a warm smile. However Cat's face was not looking at the girl. In fact Cat seemed to have put herself in a position that cut her off from the real world. She had her legs pulled up on the bench pressed closely to her body and her arms were resting on her legs. In her hands she held an object that Stephanie couldn't quite make out, but that object seemed to hold all of Cat's focus.

Stephanie knew that she needed to break through to Cat and decided for the direct option of physically breaking into Cat's world. Stephanie placed a hand gently on top of Cat's, and the contact seemed to shock the girl back to life. Cat brought her hazel eyes towards Stephanie who saw a deep world of wonder hidden in the colour.

"Hey Cat" Stephanie said, shocked at how gentle her voice was, she hadn't planned on saying it like that.

"Oh... hey Stephanie" Cat responded, her voice fragile, sounding as if it could break at any second.

Neither girl said anything for a minute and just sat in silence, both just watching people walking around the garden. Cat let out a small squeak shortly after a woman in a wheelchair was pushed past them.

"Stephanie, who's with Robbie?" she asked hesitantly, almost as if she was afraid of the answer.

"Nobody when I left" Stephanie told her. The answered seemed to force Cat completely out of her world and caused her to jump up and look flustered. It was then that Stephanie was able to see what Cat had been holding before; it was a plush dog, however it was wearing a cape and spandex suit that had a D in a diamond on the chest.

"Then we have to go keep him company" Cat informed her practically bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation of returning to Robbie.

"He'll be fine by himself for a bit" Stephanie told her, knowing that she needed to tell Cat everything that had been going on. She knew it would be a lot for Cat to take, but knew that if Robbie and Cat got together then Cat needed to know these things.

"Normally he would but he's hurt. Nobody likes to be alone when they're hurt" Cat said, her tone indicating that she wanted to leave.

Stephanie knew that Cat's worry for Robbie would prevent her from listening to what was being said, so she had to think of a way to get Cat's attention.

"Is that the reason you got that for Robbie?" she asked indicating the dog. Cat lifted the plush toy up, seeming as if she had forgotten that it was in her hands.

"Every hero deserves a side kick" Cat stated as if it was a simple fact that everyone should know.

"Robbie's more of a hero than you know" Stephanie responded.

"What do you mean?" Cat asked, confused by what the girl had said.

Stephanie indicated for Cat to take a seat next to her on the bench. Cat seemed to debate the decision but finally settled on sitting on the bench. She immediately returned to her earlier position in preparation for what she was about to be told. Stephanie sat for a minute trying to think how to broach the subject without just barrelling in.

The silence was obviously too much for Cat as after several minutes of silence she burst out with a question.

"Does what you have to say explain why Robbie turned me down?" Cat asked, the question had been building inside her for a while. She knew there was a reason why Robbie told her to think about it but she couldn't figure out what it was.

"In a roundabout way it does" Stephanie explained.

"So why did he do that?" Cat asked the faint hints of desperation breaking through into her voice.

"Simple. He doesn't think he's good enough for you and wants to make sure that you're happy in your life" she explained.

"But that doesn't make sense cos he said he wanted it" Cat said, her face fell, "was he lying?"

"No, he wasn't lying. I know he wants to be with you. It's just he thinks that he's not enough for anyone so thinks that everyone near him would be better off with someone else. So basically here cares for you but feels that someone else would do a better job" Stephanie explained.

"But that's stupid. I know there's no-one else out there that would take one bullet for me let alone two" Cat practically yelled at the girl.

"Calm down. I agree but he does this with everyone" she said, letting her frustration drip from her every word. She loved her brother but knew that he was his own worst enemy.

"Why?" Cat asked the pleading look on her face made Stephanie immediately spill her guts.

"Well it goes back to when our dad was killed. He was in the armed forces and was killed in action. To Robbie our Dad was practically God so he took the news hard. However Robbie felt like he was now the man of the family and took it upon himself to look after everyone. In the beginning it was fine because it was only little things he did. But then Mum began getting ill. Not with a disease of sorts but her heart was broken and it seemed to affect her mind. She sort of retreated into her memories and was beginning to forget Robbie and me. This is when Robbie started to do a lot more. Eventually Mum got so bad that they had to take her to the hospital."

Stephanie took a breath a tried to gauge Cat's reaction to what had already been said. Cat's face was unreadable, but it was clear that Stephanie had her full attention so she continued her story.

"Now technically we passed into our Mamaw's care, but she couldn't really cope so Robbie was left to deal with it all and he started helping Mamaw and grandpa out too. He always tried his hardest but always thought that his dad would be doing more. We all had to practically beg him to not drop out of Hollywood Arts. What really hurt Robbie though was when he started going to visit Mum and she thought he was Dad. He pretended to be him for Mum's sake but it made him feel terrible pretending to be Dad. So basically Robbie does everything for us but he never feels he does enough" Stephanie finished.

By this point tears were spilling down her face. She hated the way that Robbie sold himself short. To her he was a hero, the one person she could count on no matter what. She wanted more than anything for Cat to be a person who could show Robbie that he was that hero and hoped that her story hadn't scared Cat off.

**A/N: **Just want to say thanks for the reviews. Just want to say Thank You to KnowMyNameNotMyStory for advising people to read this story. If you guys have a minute you should read 'You Belong With Me' is an amazing story


End file.
